Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 10:58:01 AM

Home Help Search Calendar Login Register
+  Celtic Woman Forum
|-+  The Shows
| |-+  Destiny
| | |-+  My first Celtic Woman concert
« previous next »
Pages: [1] Go Down Print
Author Topic: My first Celtic Woman concert  (Read 4253 times)
CWazyTom
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2095


CWazy for Celtic Woman. Chlovër for life.

View Profile
« on: March 07, 2018, 11:17:12 PM »

This St. Patrick's Day, March 17, marks the two year anniversary of the first Celtic Woman concert I ever saw.

Things had been getting worse and worse for quite a long time and by December of 2015 I was in a pretty sorry state of mind. I tuned into the Destiny PBS special almost by accident. I didn't even know it was on until I stumbled across it in the listings and started watching 8 minutes after it started. That special aired at the time when I needed it the most, so it had a profound impact on me. I absolutely fell in love with My Land and Westering Home and I couldn't stop playing them.

During the special, they showed some of the upcoming tour dates, including the shows on the Christmas tour that year. I saw that one of the shows was in my hometown. I didn't go to concerts then (it had probably been 15 years since I had been to one and I just didn't feel like doing much of anything). But I loved Destiny so much that I got interested. I checked if there were any tickets left for that show, but it was sold out.  :'(

I actually wasn't even going to go see Destiny, but I was so obsessed with the music that I shared it with my family over the Christmas holidays. That was really the first time in a long time (probably since 2007) I had even mentioned it to someone. Celtic Woman was just one of my secret loves, I suppose.

Some people in my family liked it. Not quite as I did, but enough that it got their interest. They could see how happy Celtic Woman was making me, so they suggested that we go to together to see a nearby show on the upcoming Destiny tour. I was a bit skeptical at the time. While I was excited about finally seeing them, I was also pretty worried. From my limited past experience at concerts, my impression was that music rarely sounds as good live as it does on an album or a DVD. I was scared that if I saw them and I didn't love them as much live, it would destroy the bubble of joy that they had finally created for me. At the time, that would have been incredibly dangerous, since I didn't love anything more than them and their beautiful harmony.

While I loved the music, I didn't follow the performers as closely then as I do today. I knew the group had changed considerably over time though. I didn't know how the other fans were going to react to Destiny. It was so different than the group's previous work. Not all my family members reacted positively to Destiny. I read a few reviews, but I must have encountered a bad selection of them from disenchanted long-time fans (and some ill-informed fans), because they weren't encouraging. As silly as it may sound that was really the moment that changed my life. As scared as I was that the "live experience" wouldn't meet my expectations, I grew terrified that if I didn't see them on the Destiny tour, I might never get another chance to see them. It was at that moment that I realized that Celtic Woman wasn't just a group I liked, it was one of the most important things in my life. I decided I had to go see them and support them, no matter what.

On March 17, 2016, I saw Destiny in Detroit. The excitement of finally getting to see them had been gradually pulling me out of an extended depression. When they finally came out on to the stage, I just started crying. Destiny was more than I could have dreamed of. I loved every moment, even more than the PBS special! They all looked so lovely and sounded gorgeous beyond words.

I was seated in the first few rows (third or fourth, I think) to the left side of the stage (to the right for the girls as they faced the audience). The audience was pretty reserved, I thought. I started clapping along to When You Go (I think I was so excited I started clapping to Ride On too  ::) ). I was sensing the people beside me thought there was something wrong with me, but I didn't really care. I lip-sync'd along to most of the songs. The girls seemed to appreciate it and that made me feel really great, like I was finally giving back to the group that, over time, had come to mean to world to me.

The theater was probably about half full. I was actually really surprised there were that few people for a show on St. Patrick's Day. But then again, as I had gone through had times in the preceding years, so too had the city of Detroit. The audience that was there was pretty reserved. There was a decent amount of clapping along during Mairead Nesbitt's songs, but other than that, they seemed to enjoy it without getting very enthusiastic. Then again, I was excited out of my mind, so anyone else's reaction would have seem subdued by comparison.

The evening was kind of a blur, but here are some of the other things I remember from the show:
- Mairead Nesbitt saw me crying and how much I was enjoying the show. She smiled at me. <3
- I knew Glenn and Ronan had just been recently on the Ellen show. They had just returned for the show I saw and I believe that was the very first show where they performed their Adele medley on the Destiny tour.
- The audience was pretty reserved.
- The seat I was in was set up over top of the orchestra pit. The board was pretty wobbly. Before the show and during intermission, it felt like I was on a boat as people moved around.
- Before the show, at the merch table, I talked to someone who was wondering if the red-head was still in the show. I wasn't entirely sure if he was referring to the french model whose name has been lost to time or Lisa Lambe, but although I was somewhat behind on my knowledge of the group then, I assured him I was quite sure neither was in the show. He expressed disappointment, but I reassured him that regardless of who was in the group, it would probably be good.
- I got a program and a "Shh..not till I'm done listening to Celtic Woman mug." I love that thing! <3

At the time, I still didn't understand how Meet and Greets worked. I knew they were expensive, but I hadn't figured out the PBS pledge drives yet. I was aware of the concept of stage and greets, but while I considered it briefly, the show was in downtown Detroit. While it's gotten better over the years, that place still scares the heck of me. I opted not to hang around the venue.

Celtic Woman Destiny restored my faith in concerts and solidified my appreciation for the group. I felt compelled to share my love of Celtic Woman with others for the first time and counteract some of the heartbreaking opinions I had read while I was going through reviews for the show. I finally got into social media and the various fan forums so that I could have a voice in supporting the group I loved so dearly.

Destiny (and all that surrounded it) came along at a time when I needed it most. It was by far the best and most meaningful concert I had ever seen. Destiny changed my life and it will always have a very special place in my heart. <3
Logged
Tracie
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1098


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2018, 09:08:05 PM »

Thank you for sharing your wonderful story. It's amazing how powerful music can be in influencing a person's life.
Logged
Maloney
Jr. Member
**
Posts: 86

View Profile
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2018, 01:06:14 PM »

was nice to read about your first concert.

I vividly remember ours some 11 years or so ago.......   
we have been to many places to see them.  Powerscourt , Atlanta,  Texas,  Colorado, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, SF bay Area,
This will be our first year not seeing a show...... nothing in our local area and vacations are already spoken for this year =(
Logged
CWazyTom
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2095


CWazy for Celtic Woman. Chlovër for life.

View Profile
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2018, 07:21:28 PM »

was nice to read about your first concert.

I vividly remember ours some 11 years or so ago.......   
we have been to many places to see them.  Powerscourt , Atlanta,  Texas,  Colorado, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, SF bay Area,
This will be our first year not seeing a show...... nothing in our local area and vacations are already spoken for this year =(

Aww. I'm sorry you're not able to see them this tour.

Sounds like you've had a lot of great experiences supporting them though.
Logged
Pages: [1] Go Up Print 
« previous next »
 
SMF 2.0.19 | SMF © 2017, Simple Machines
Celtic Woman Forum, My first Celtic Woman concert - Theme by GlenS